NFL Fines Two Texans $18,028 During the Bye Week: Ingram's Late Hit and Stewart's Hip-Drop Tackle Against the Giants

The Houston Texans spent their bye week at 2-5, and the league spent part of it fining their secondary. The NFL announced on Saturday, October 31 that cornerback Ja'Marcus Ingram and safety M.J. Stewart were fined a combined $18,028 for infractions in the Texans' 27-21 overtime loss to the New York Giants in Week 7, according to the USA Today Giants Wire and Heavy accounts, read this cycle. Ingram's $6,361 fine is for unnecessary roughness on a late hit during kickoff coverage in the second quarter — a play officials flagged for 15 yards, which helped New York reach field-goal range. Stewart's $11,667 fine is for a hip-drop tackle in the fourth quarter, on a 4-yard completion from J.J. McCarthy to Isaiah Likely that officials did not flag; the drive ended in a Giants touchdown.

Both fines were reduced for first-time offenders, per the accounts: a first-offense late hit can reach $11,941, and a first-offense hip-drop tackle $17,911. Stewart's carries the longer shadow — under the league's revised player-safety guidelines, hip-drop tackles sit at the top of the discipline list, and further strikes of the same kind put him at risk of a one-game suspension, per Heavy's account. Both players may appeal; fine appeals are heard by officers jointly appointed by the NFL and the players' association. The same game also cost the Giants: running back Cam Skattebo was fined $7,073 for impermissible use of the helmet on a first-quarter run in the same game, per the accounts read this cycle.

Houston returns from the bye still looking up at the AFC South from 2-5, with the Week 7 loss — in which all three Giants running backs scored and Devin Singletary's 30-yard overtime touchdown run ended it — as the film the fines came from. The Texans' next file is their return to the field; this one belongs to the league's weekly accountability report.